“Experience yourself as being lived as a wild force of nature, as eyes of a great single unfolding, rather than only a human object moving through time and space getting somewhere.” ~ Jeannie Zandi
Now I’d like to take you to one of the most authentic and beautiful areas located in northernmost Vietnam. This was my first time in this part of the world that is almost at the border of China. I was thrilled to be in these magical lands. The usual excitement of a traveler who is born to explore the world!
In order to come to this region, you need to take 8-hour bus journey from the capital Hanoi. I used Hanoi as a hub, like a central station and a stopover between different destinations where I could rest and get prepared before new adventures. Vietnam is a long and narrow country. Just to give you a rough idea about its size; it takes 24 hours by bus from mid Vietnam (e.g. Hoi An) to the northernmost parts (e.g. Ha Giang) which is only the half way when we take into account the whole length of the country.
I was here to do the Ha Giang loop that is an iconic motorbike route that takes travelers through the remote and rugged landscapes of Northern Vietnam. This adventure offers an unforgettable journey in between stunning mountain passes, vibrant ethnic villages, and breathtaking natural beauty.
If you are an experienced rider and have an international license, you can self-drive the loop. Or you can get an easy-rider and fully enjoy the whole journey. Easy riders not only drive you but also show you the most amazing viewpoints, talk about the area and the culture and arrange all the accommodations and food along the way. I took part in a group of 4 motorbikes, driven by easy riders. We made more than 400km in 4 days, covering these destinations; Day 1: Ha Giang – Du Gia / Day 2: Du Gia – Dong Van / Day 3: Dong Van – Quan Ba / Day 4: Quan Ba – Ha Giang.
This was an amazing opportunity to enter deep into Vietnam’s breathtaking northern highlands. Proceeding on the meandering roads through mountain passes, plateaus, deep valleys and villages, I so much enjoyed the magnificent scenery. At times we were seeing the mountains of China just in front of us at the other side of deep valleys. Winding our way through massive peaks and canyons, I got carried away by the cool wind and peacefully let myself merge with it.
I was in wonderment by the breathtaking charm of the landscapes. Seeing all those dense jungles, deep valleys nestled in the middle of majestic mountains and vast views of the horizon, I don’t know how many times I was amazed. Every turn is full of picturesque views so you easily feel compelled to make stops to take in the beauty of the scenery. This becomes also a chance to rest as the ride can be tiring. Some roads are smooth asphalt, but the rest are dirt, rough and bumpy. Especially during long descents, the pressure on the upper legs and knees can be overwhelming.
This area is in ‘Dong Van UNESCO Global Geopark’ at the average altitude of more than 1.000m. The Geopark is a world of biodiversity, with many plant and animal species endemic for a tropical to subtropical and temperate karst area. I was surprised by the diversity of the vegetation including pine trees and tropical ones like bamboos, bananas and papayas. This was literally a dazzling show of the mountains with their steep cliffs, sharp summits and rich flora.
With 17 ethnic groups living inside the area, it is the UNESCO Geopark with the highest human diversity in the world. Ethnic minority groups are so diverse such as; Mong, Dao, Thay, Nung, Giay, La Chi, Lo Lo, PU Peo etc. Therefore, traveling around the area of this loop displays the rich local culture of the ethnic hill tribes. My soul was very happy to meet the authentic nature of this place. The villagers still continue their traditional and very humble way of living within simple lives which hadn’t been invaded by the modern world yet. People were poor. It was winter and I rarely saw socks on children’s feet. And yet they were looking quite content of their lives.
I saw both women and men working hard in the fields, doing farming regardless of the cold, rain or wind. Agriculture looks hard here as the soil is quite rocky. Since it is a mountainous region, agriculture is done on terraces. The main product here is corn but sometimes they also cultivate rice. I came across many villagers walking for kilometers, carrying on their backs a big bunch of leaves to bring to their animals to feed. Because they generally have buffalos and goats. I guess they may be meeting their basic needs through their cultivations, animals or exchanges as I didn’t see any little markets or grocery stores in the villages. There seems to be no packaged products or plastics coming to the area, therefore, I did not see any garbage in all the rural areas I visited in Ha Giang. (except for towns)
In order to understand their ethnicity, it is enough to look at the clothes of women. I am very impressed by the variety and colors of the clothes women wear. Skirts, blouses, shawls, belts, socks have bright colors, crafted with dense patterns according to the authentic style of the particular ethnic group. On the embroideries there are various motifs such as eye, foot or wing of a bird, rice terraces, buckwheat flowers. I loved to see women working in the fields in their colorful traditional clothes. It reminds me of the beautiful Indian women in their saris in India. One other thing I observed about women is that the marriage age in the countryside is around 14 or 15 and birth rates are very high. Vast majority of women successively make babies therefore there is a large child population.
Noticing the increasing popularity of Ha Giang loop among travelers, I was more than glad to be here timely. Unfortunately, this acceleration in tourism may create an increase in human population, and investments. As well as its positive benefits, tourism may cause harm in the area because continued investments in tourism results in rapid development. Each year the area may have more difficulties to retain its individual, traditional untouched character.
Each night we stayed at a different local homestay where we had the chance to eat, rest and sleep. So, these times were opportunities to get to know and spend time with our local hosts. After every dinner corn wine (aka happy water) was certainly served, followed by karaoke which is very much loved amongst locals. Below we see one of the homestays we stayed and my friends with whom I shared the whole trip.
In the end, I was very impressed by the mountains here. They reminded me of the fairy tales where the dragons -with their huge wings and tails- would come flying out from behind the majestic hills. Getting to know these mountains, feeling their power and majesty, meeting with all their elements; the plants, animals, caves, streams, villages, farmers, adorable children, I felt deeply grateful.
Seeing the gap between the lives of the people living in modernity and the local people living here inevitably lead you to contemplate. Observing this gap between these two extremely distinct living conditions I ask; what we gain and what we lose in our evolution towards modernity or capitalism? When I see the innocence and the simple spontaneity of the locals here, I feel like I am meeting something that I have been longing for, something that my heart feels so intimate with. Red cheeks of the children tell me so many things. They whisper me about the wholesome relationship between human and nature. This warms my heart greatly.
Proceeding on the motorbike, merging with the winter wind, I look around me with a soft gaze. I feel the majestic mountains that embraced us, that took care of us and didn’t hide any of their beauty. I thank them. Throughout my life, I will carry the traces that these distant corners of the world have left on my being. This is one of the greatest gifts of traveling.
